1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to lightweight concrete with structural strength and density according to ASTM standard.
2. Description of the Related Art
American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standard defines structural lightweight concrete as having a compression strength in excess of 17.2 MPa (2,500 psi) after 28 days curing when tested in accordance with ATSM C 330, and an air dry density not exceeding 1,842 kg/m3 (115 lb/ft3) as determined by ASTM C 567. Standard concrete mix is made of coarse aggregate (stone), fine aggregate (sand), and cement binder. Similarly to standard concrete mix, many current structural lightweight concrete mixtures have the same mix composition, except that the aggregates in the mix are replaced with lower-density ones. Lower-density replacement aggregates can be of man-made aggregates or natural aggregates, and have compression greater than structural strength of 2,500 psi. For example, most common man-made (synthetic) lightweight aggregates include expanded shale or clay, cinders, and expanded slag. The most common natural lightweight aggregates include pumice, scoria, tuff, and diatomite.
Currently, the use of structural lightweight concrete has been limited to large cast structures where its lower density is required, such as bridges and high rises. Like most normal concrete materials, its utilization in residential buildings has been limited due to its inflexibility, material cost, and associated labor cost in handling the material. Thus, an economical lightweight concrete with structural strength and wood-like properties would be very valuable because it could overcome the limitations of traditional concrete and lightweight structural concrete now used in building applications. However, it is necessary to understand the common types of concrete matrix of both conventional and lightweight concrete, and their mechanics before better design and improvement can be obtained given its properties.
Hereon, the term “structural aggregate” is defined as aggregate that has a compression strength that is greater that 2500 psi as consistent with the term “structural” referred in ASTM standard for concrete. The term “non-structural aggregate” is defined as aggregate with compression strength of 2500 psi or less.
In the second category of lightweight concrete, most are cellular concrete, perlite concrete, vermiculite concrete or the like. These types of lightweight concretes are often provided with non-structural strength and are limited in construction applications. Examples of such cellular concrete are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,900,359 entitled “Cellular concrete”; U.S. Pat. No. 5,183,505 entitled “Cellular concrete”; and U.S. Pat. No. 6,488,762 entitled “Composition of materials for use in cellular lightweight concrete and methods thereof”. Examples of such perlite concrete include U.S. Pat. No. 5,080,022 entitled “Composite material and method”, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,881,257 entitled “Machinable light weight sisal-based concrete structural building material”. A few of the non-structural lightweight concretes can display some very low level of screw-ability and nail-ability, but nothing close to the properties of wood. As a result, the holding strength of screws and grip strength of nails are very poor in comparison to wood. Normally, these types of lightweight concretes tend to crack when screwed or nailed by a user. A few structural lightweight concretes, such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,080,022 and U.S. Pat. No. 6,488,762, may have the desired structural strength but they lack the screw-ability and nail-ability of wood. Moreover, these types of lightweight concretes are not very economical on a large manufacturing scale, because the mixture requires a large amount of expensive cement binder, or has very limited supply of components as in the case of ground recycled glass.
Cellular and non-structural aggregate, such as expanded vermiculite or perlite concrete, has been limited only to a few applications that do not require structural strength, but rather take advantage of the insulating characteristics. Past attempts to make this type of concrete into structural grade and make it more economical have resulted in failure. Such past failures are generally attributable to the lack of understanding of the concrete's matrix and its complex mechanism at the microstructure level. It is well known that a solid ordinary concrete made of fly ash, Portland cement and sand, can have compression strength of 8,000-9,000 psi. This strength is much more than the structural requirement of most applications. Therefore, it would make sense to lighten it by introducing effective voids in the concrete. However, creating void cells in the concrete matrix has not been so easy for the last few decades. Moreover, obtaining desirable properties in cellular concrete or non-structural aggregate concrete with the least amount of material and labor cost can also be a science, given that exotic materials with limited supply required for any concrete mixes or certain complex manufacturing processes will always make the concrete expensive. Therefore, in order to be cost effective, the concrete has to be made using common materials that are abundant in supply; and its manufacture process must also be simple.
Presently, cellular or non-structural aggregate concretes of second category have only one effective void size distribution. Applicant has discovered that the concrete matrix of this type could be improved by having two void size distributions instead of one. Given the same total effective void volume, the concrete with two void size distributions will always be more stable and have higher strength than the concrete with one void size distribution. The wider spacing between the effective void cells can accommodate more reinforcing fibers. Applicant has also discovered that by using a combination of water-absorbent and non-absorbent expanded aggregates, the water to cement ratio of the concrete mix can be lowered, when the water-absorbent (dry) is mixed just before pouring. The ratio of water-absorbent and non-absorbent aggregates can be adjusted to absorb the desired amount of water out of the concrete mix before setting.